Traditionally, housing or other building structures have been erected one component at a time, i.e., they are generally built at the erection site and include structural framework, shear sheathing, vapor barriers, protective exterior siding or finishes, such as paint, and interior finishes or paneling, such as gypsum board. For example, the structural framework may be erected from raw materials, and then other components may be successively added until a finished structure is provided. The various components are generally assembled together using a wide range of fasteners, such as, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, and/or other materials, such as gasketing, adhesives and the like.
Because of the complexity of such structures, highly skilled tradesmen are required, and building them takes substantial time. Further, during construction, ancillary components, such as plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems, architectural features, such as roofing and trim, interior features and the like, may be added to complete the structure. This may further increase labor and time demands, and consequently result in relatively costly building structures.
To reduce field costs and accelerate erection of building structures, factory assembled components have been proposed. For example, prefabricated panels, generally made up of plywood applied over a gypsum board core, may be used to reduce field assembly time. In addition, subassemblies of framing or other structural components may be built in a factory or other offsite environment, where mass production or improved efficiencies may be realized, as compared with field conditions. These components, however, may be bulky, resulting in dramatically increased shipping costs and/or requiring a factory in close proximity to the erection site.
Another problem with conventional building structures is that they often involve the use of wood products, particularly within the residential industry, which are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. As an alternative, concrete and steel materials may be used, but these materials generally involve heavy equipment and special labor requirements, which may dramatically increase erection time and cost. Further, steel and concrete materials may not adequately resist corrosion and/or may involve complicated seismic load considerations.
More recently, plastic or composite materials, i.e., fiber reinforced plastic ("FRP"), have been considered for panel systems. These panels may simply substitute a composite material for one or more elements of the panels, e.g., the outer skins, while using foam or honeycomb core materials between the skins. Other composite panels have been suggested that use extruded or pultruded composite materials. These panel systems, however, generally still require fasteners, e.g., screws or bolts, in order to connect the panels to specially designed trim components, beams, and the like. Thus, many of the components necessary to assemble the panels and erect a building structure may be traditional non-composite materials, which may compromise the structural and durability benefits obtained from the use of composite materials.
Other composite systems have suggested tongue and groove or "H" strip connectors between panels, but these systems may also require multiple fasteners to provide a structurally integral connection between the panels. Alternatively, other composite systems may use resin-catalyst mixtures to bond panels together, but these systems may substantially increase erection time, e.g., due to the curing time of panel joints, and/or may involve specially skilled field labor knowledgeable in working with composite materials.
According, there is a need for structural building components and systems that may be assembled in a more efficient manner, and/or that may overcome problems associated with previous systems.